Vesely, Kalinic lead Fenerbahce to 10th win

Fenerbahce Istanbul grabbed its 7th consecutive win by topping Panathinaikos OPAP Athens 69-81 in the Greek capital. Fenerbahce improved to 10-1 in the standings while Panathinaikos dropped to 5-6 and is now on a three-game losing streak. Nikola Kalinic led the winners with 18 points on 4-of-5 three-point shots. Joffrey Lauvergne added 16 while Jan Vesely had 15 for Fenerbahce. Nick Calathes led Panathinaikos with 14 points and 7 assists. Matt Lojeski and Nikos Pappas each had 13 points for the hosts.

Vesely scored down low and Erick Green added a corner triple for a 0-5 Fenerbahce lead. Thanasis Antetokounmpo dunked twice in a 6-0 Panathinaikos run but Vesely and Kostas Sloukas restored a 6-13 Fenerbahce edge. James Gist and DeShaun Thomas stepped up for the hosts but Nicolo Melli followed a three-pointer with a layup for a 12-18 score after 10 minutes. Pappas rescued Panathinaikos with a triple and a driving slam, and a free throw by Dinos Mitoglou made it a two-point game, 18-20. Lojeski took over with a floater and free throws to tie it at 24-24. Kalinic struck twice from downtown and Lauvergne added another for a 33-35 Fenerbahce lead at halftime. Luigi Datome buried a three-pointer soon after the break and free throws by Marko Guduric gave the guests fresh air at 35-40. Datome kept pacing Fenerbahce with a driving layup and Lauvergne dunked twice to make Panathinaikos stop the game at 39-46. Calathes struck twice from beyond the arc and added a driving layup, forcing Fenerbahce to stop the game at 47-48. Calathes scored again and Thomas sank a triple but Lauvergne and Ali Muhammed each hit one from downtown for a 52-56 score after 30 minutes. Calathes and Pappas took over early in the fourth quarter and a layup by Ian Vougioukas got Panathinaikos as close as 59-61 with over 6 minutes left. Lauvergne hit a tough turnaround jumper which Sloukas and Kalinic bettered with a three-pointer apiece for a 61-70 Fenerbahce lead. Kalinic insisted from downtown and added free throws to seal the outcome, 63-75, as Panathinaikos did not recover.

Pivotal performer

Nikola Kalinic shined at both ends, providing a lot of intangibles that are never in the stats - hustle, determination, intensity - but others that ended up on the scoresheet, too. Kalinic finished the game with 18 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, a steal and 4 fouls drawn for a PIR of 22.

Game-changing moment

Panathinaikos managed to get within 59-61 with over 6 minutes remaining but Joffrey Lauvergne hit an off-balance turnaround jumper, Kostas Sloukas added a critical three-pointer and Kalinic also struck twice from beyond the arc for a 63-73 Fenerbahce lead, and that gave the guests full control the game until the final buzzer.

Stellar stat

Three-point shots made the difference in this game. Fenerbahce hit 13-of-21 shots from beyond the arc (61.9%) and limited Panathinaikos to just 7-of-28 three-pointers (25%). Fenerbahce outrebounded Panathinaikos by 24-33, too.

Did you notice?

Fenerbahce earned its first-ever non-playoffs road win against Panathinaikos. Fenerbahce was 0-12 in Regular Season and Top 16 action - but is 2-0 in the EuroLeague Playoffs with back-to-back road wins in 2017.

Head Coaches

PASCUAL, XAVI

Panathinaikos OPAP Athens

"First of all, congratulations to Fenerbahce for this win. We were in the game for 36 minutes. We followed the game plan on defense and offense. We played serious defense, and this is why Fenerbahce had 16 turnovers tonight. And on offense, we played more or less calmed down, trying to find our advantage with only 8 turnovers. Five minutes before the end we were 59-61, lost one defensive rebound, they scored and after that, we missed two free throws at 59-63 and Fenerbahce scored a three-point shot in the next offense. We tried to come back but it was impossible in the last part of the game. It is very clear that Fenerbahce with 61% three-point shooting, and us scoring 25%, was the key of the game."

OBRADOVIC, ZELJKO

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul

"It is obvious the game was very close for 35 minutes. Both teams had ups and downs. I am satisfied with the way we played defensively almost all the game except some situations in the first half in which Panathinaikos scored some three-point shots. Situations in which players did not talk defensively, switch, not switch, easy basket, things like that. In the first half, it was obvious that it was not a good offensive game for us. We played slow, not decisive, we didn't recognize some very easy situations in which we had an advantage. We played really bad offensively. Obviously, we played much better in the second half. We had 25 assists - this means that we moved the ball and shared the ball like this team wants to do. And something I am really happy about from the beginning of the season, my players fight from the first until the last second, always. It doesn't matter if we play good or bad, they continue to fight. So it is an important victory against a very good team but as always, there are a lot of games in front of us."

"We talked at halftime that we needed to change the game defensively and probably in the last 5 minutes we really played very well. We shot the ball from outside, three-point shots, very well. We were patient, moved the ball and everything that was bad in the first half [we did better in the second half]. Defense, more or less, it was at the same level. They know that if you want to be good, you need concentration from the first until the last second and to fight in every moment of the game. I am very proud of my players until now but this is just the beginning of the season."

Players

LANGFORD, KEITH

Panathinaikos OPAP Athens

"I think the story of the game came down to the fourth quarter. We started the second half really well but I think in the fourth quarter, they started to make shots and made us pay for some defensive mistakes. Once they started making shots, it became really tough for us to find the rhythm of the game again. We have to regroup, get better and come back next week."

KALINIC, NIKOLA

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul

"The first half was OK - we were leading but we were not playing as good as we wanted. We scored only, I think, 35 points, so offense was the biggest problem. But in the second half we came out good and started reading their defense and we played a really good game. I think that not a lot of teams are going to win here, which is why this is an even more important win. I congratulate the Panathinaikos players and coaches. We continue to play - we survived this. Last month we had 5 away games out of 6 and survived that, but we are not going to relax."

VESELY, JAN

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul

"Panathinaikos is a great team and this is the only way, fight for every ball until the end, and that is what we did. I try to help the team as much as I can and I always try to fight for every ball."